MINT Magazine Spring 2015 by MINT Magazine

SPRINGissue

the

EDITOR IN CHIEF Ashley Overbeek

ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR Diana Zhao

WRITING DIRECTORS Karina El Baze Villanueva Zabreen Khan

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTORS Sharon Lee Yoojin Rhee Sydney Maples

COPY EDITOR Carly Olszewski

MODELING DIRECTORS Chris Lucas

WEB DIRECTORS Jessie Alvarez Emily Xie

DESIGNERS Andrea Rodriguez Emma Fiander Lauren Kwa Eli Margolin

SOCIAL MEDIA Sarah Ortlip-Sommers

EVENT PLANNING Hannah Karpel Ashley Akinola

FINANCIAL OFFICER Irene Jeon

Androgyny in Fashion Au Naturel!

p. 7

p. 10

I Was Once Like You Are Now Buen Camino

p. 14

p. 16

p. 24 Student Bands at Stanford p. 26 The Choker Comeback p. 35 Where is the Love? p. 38 Myth of the California Aesthetic p. 42 Longboards p. 44 New Ways to Get that Workout High p. 53 New Directors on the Block

CONTENTS Spring the

issue

ndrogyny

in fashion by Emma Fiander

photography by Yoojin Rhee model: Emma Fiander

ashion is not safe. It is art, and as with all art, safety is boring. It is death. It is what gets designers sent home on Project Runway. The purpose of fashion is to push boundaries, to transcend limits, to normalize what was once considered wild fantasy. Fashion is always in transition, but some transitions are more significant than others. They are reflections of broader cultural transitions that become frozen in time as symbols, as easy ways to visualize changing societies of the past. The freedom of the corset-less silhouette, the power of pants, and the sexuality of the miniskirt were all major innovations in the fashion world at their time, and they are remembered today as iconic representations of past eras. Today, we are on the cusp of another such moment. As society steers further away from traditional gender roles and expectations, questions about gender and its level of necessity have begun to surface. Why do we confine ourselves to the tradition of masculine men and feminine women? Why is it so important for society to smack a gendered label on anything and everything, including people? Fashion is pushing back against this concept. Runways are slowly but surely converging on gender-neutral fashion. Women have been wearing pants for a long time— decades, at least. It was perhaps novel at first, but by now, a woman in pants hardly qualifies as “masculine” or “menswear.” Pants are gender neutral in the way that shirts are, while dresses are not. For most items of clothing, the “gender” of the piece comes not from the article type itself, but from the way it is constructed. To that end, gender-neutral clothing, androgynous clothing, is not necessarily limited to getting men into skirts. Instead, it is more about embracing traditionally gendered styles and eliminating the perceived barriers that still permeate fashion. Women in pants might not hold the same status-defying shock value it once did, but womenswear designers have recently begun borrowing more and more from male runways. Women are forgoing the “ladies” departments of stores in favor of the more comfortable and relaxed styles found in the menswear section. It is not uncommon to see women— on both the catwalk and the streets— in oversized, utilitarian jackets, chunky

shoes, and full suits. However, the reverse is not always true. It is still widely considered strange for men to adopt a more feminine wardrobe. Perhaps, this phenomenon is on the cusp of change. While most menswear designers have not gone as far as putting their models in dresses, the style of clothing that they present is much more feminine. Shirts take on a blouse-like aesthetic, animal prints are resurfacing on male runways, and trends seen first during womenswear shows are propping up everywhere— think fur coats, tunic-like shirts, and open backs. Male models were even spotted in skirts at Rick Owns, Thom Brown, and J. W. Anderson. Perhaps most importantly, there is an increase in experimentation in men’s fashion. Even if nothing about the new looks is particularly feminine, it is still a significant sign that men’s fashion is being treated with the same playful innovation that makes women’s fashion so alluring. And then there are the models themselves. Now, it is a familiar sight to see male models in women’s shows and vice versa. We have Elliott Sailors, a female model who walks regularly in men’s shows, or Andreja Pejic, a trans-female model. Additionally, designers are increasingly eschewing the tradition of showing exclusively womenswear during fashion month shows. For example, Hood By Air’s Fall 2015 collection by Shayne Oliver featured models of both sexes on the runway. All models were covered in nylon masks that made their gender unclear at first glance. The unisex approach was mirrored by the clothing, which did not feel aimed toward one gender or the other, but was instead universally appealing. The point of androgynous fashion is not to do away with feminine and masculine aesthetics. Rather, androgynous fashion is about taking the concepts of masculinity and femininity and erasing the “male” and “female” aspects from each. It is not trying to make a single uniform look, where gender is indistinguishable because everyone looks the same. It is instead a foray into a world where gender is indistinguishable because there are no limitations on what is considered acceptable. Androgyny is a gateway to entirely new realms of potential fashion endeavors, and it is long overdue. M

Au Naturel! Everyone can feel the trend towards being healthy through exercise and clean eating. But now, the movement has also found its way into hair and makeup. by elizabeth overton

alayage hair coloring is all over current fashion blogs. Balayage is coloring that gives your hair the sunkissed, natural, beach look that everyone wants— it’s a more natural version of an “ombre.” According to Jack Howard, international color director at Neville Hair & Beauty Salon, balayage is “similar to what nature gives us as children— with softer, less noticeable regrowth lines. The principal idea being ‘less is more’ when creating soft, natural looks.” Balayage requires very little

maintenance and gets more beautiful as your hair grows out, because it focuses on what your hair naturally has. This is refreshing compared to old styles, where you would constantly worry about your weekly hair appointments so that your roots wouldn’t start to grow out and look terrible. Many celebrities sport this new look including, supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, actress and supermodel Jessica Alba, and pop-singer Rihanna. An additional popular, natural hairstyle is the “chop.” Life-

style blogger Lauren Conrad has cut off her long hair and now wears it in loose, natural beach waves. Taylor Swift and Jennifer Lawrence have done the same. This is a particularly dramatic change for Taylor Swift, as her usual hair is long and styled. The natural trend has found its way into the makeup world as well. Makeup companies are now making tinted moisturizers because many clients are no longer interested in “cakey” looking makeup. Tinted moisturizer provides cover-

photography by Sharon Lee model: Ellen Woods

12 model: Anika Nagpal

“Go fearlessly naked.” age, but with a lighter, purer formula. The current makeup trend is light, shimmery eye makeup accompanied by minimal face make up. Even Urban Decay, a company known for aggressive, sparkly, and dark eye makeup, recently released an ad saying, “Go fearlessly naked.” Natural hair filled the runways of Paris and

Milan’s fashion weeks this year. According to Style.com, many black models’ natural hair took the center stage of the Prada and Celine shows. During the New York Fashion Week Marc Jacobs show, the models wore choppy black wigs and no makeup. That’s right, no makeup! The Michael Kors show was full of loose, windswept braids

and natural makeup. Other brands like Tory Burch adopted similar looks. These trends represent a larger movement of becoming more natural and healthy in everything we do. From exercise, to food, fashion, hair, and makeup, style is promoting all to embrace their natural appearances and love their real selves. M

I was once I

t’s very easy to do, but I have an aversion to categorizing music into time periods. The 60s were a great flowering of all kinds of music, from the folk revival in New York City, to the hit factories of Motown, to the unstoppable tide of Beatlemania. The 70s saw rock torn between the high-concept experimentalism of progressive and the no-nonsense minimalism of punk. The 90s saw the twin mainstream breakthroughs of hip-hop and alternative, trends that still dominate the radio today. See, I’ve just grouped my favorite genres neatly into three tenyear blocks of time. But doing so betrays how music flows and changes, and how these changes manifest over years, and eventually generations. The history of music doesn’t neatly divide itself by decade; it’s a river, constantly and continuously changing in such a way that it’s easy to see where a certain sound came from and what caused it to take its new shape. My father and I both have a deep appreciation for music, although we hail from different times. He’ll be listening to a Classic Vinyl station on the radio; I’ll be playing the latest Pitchfork favorite from my iPhone. Nevertheless, as we’ve grown older, we’ve also grown into an appreciation for each other’s worlds and the songs that soundtrack them. It’s a reassuring notion that, one day, your child is going to grow up into someone that you’ll want to have a drink with, and perhaps while you’re at the bar, you’ll hear a song that evokes fond memories for both of you. My music collection currently runs well over 1,500 albums, but as with anything and everything, it started out small. It must’ve been my freshman year in high school when I took an active role in fiddling with my dad’s car radio, as he found radio stations that played what he was listening to when he was my age— Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, and

Eric Clapton, to name a few. It was also at this time that I began to look in the trunk of my dad’s car and found some of his favorite albums from names that, at the time, I knew, but didn’t know about. To highlight a few, there was Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends. Being a teenaged boy, I stole these and spent many hours acquainting myself with them. I still can’t listen to Bookends without thinking about my late grandfather. As my love for these albums grew, I began to push further into the musical past and present— looking into the artists that were a part of the same musical scene as the ones behind my new favorite albums, as well as into the artists of my generation that were inspired by these albums. Bands like The Black Keys and Fleet Foxes were listening to what I was listening to, so I decided to check them out. Meanwhile, I was trying to get into Neil Young and David Bowie as a form of musical homework. And now the story comes full circle. In recent years, I have taken to playing some of my favorite albums from my lifetime, and I’m delighted to say that my dad has received many of these quite positively. (Humorously, I’ve had to explain to him the difference between a hipster’s musical tastes and those of a hippie.) He’s taken quite a shine to several of my favorites, bobbing his head along to The War on Drugs, comparing Vampire Weekend to Paul Simon, and listening attentively to the lyrics of Bright Eyes; he was less accepting of others, such as The National (“it’s like a funeral dirge”) and Spoon (“too inconsistent— the jury’s out”), and he was definitely not a fan of St. Vincent. However, my musical hunts have also taken me into roads not taken from my father’s time. I’ve

stumbled upon beloved-by-the-underground bands such as Love and The Blue Nile, and I’ve shared these with my dad as well. Sometimes, he’d listen to these hidden gems and playfully bemoan that I knew the music of his generation better than he did. I was home for the summer, and this was how the two of us spent long car rides together. I would pop in an album that I’d been listening to throughout my year at college— something that got me through the throes of MATH 51— and once the album was done, we’d look for something that my father would recognize from his own college days. He’s often told me that the album that defined his freshman year was Cat Stevens’s Tea for the Tillerman; his favorite track off of that album is the folksy, bittersweet “Father and Son,” the song from which this piece takes its name. It’s a song that reminds him of his father, just as it reminds me of mine. (Both relationships are better than the song might imply.) And that’s what music has become for us, really; when we’re together, music becomes a way for us to share memories. These can either be events that we experienced together, or it can be an event that he experienced long ago and I am experiencing now. But most importantly, it’s a way to show each other how much we love each other, and to share what we love with whom we love. In this way, sharing music has also led to the creation of new memories. A few years ago, my dad marked a milestone birthday by throwing a dance party soundtracked by his favorite Motown hits, and he enlisted me to help him pick the songs. I remember loading up an iPod with hundreds of songs, then playing them for him on a long flight back home. (I also remember telling him that, though everyone could hear him singing, only he could hear the music through his earphones!) For his birthday last year, I bought him the latest Elton John record, and although it didn’t immediately grab him the way his older works

did, he’s gradually grown to love it. And at the end of the summer, the two of us went to see Crosby, Stills, & Nash in concert— a group he hadn’t seen since he was seventeen— and they even closed with our mutual favorite tune, “Teach Your Children.” While this performance may not have lived up to the last time my dad saw them live, it was a great night for both of us, and I’m thrilled to have shared it with him. Even now, as I search for a new musician to listen to, or the newest album from my favorite band at the moment, I’ll sit and wonder what my dad would think of what I’m listening to. I’ve yet to pick up the new albums by Father John Misty and Sufjan Stevens, and I feel like he’d either love them for their music or be turned away by the melancholy of the lyrics. (Or, perhaps both.) Sometimes I’ll listen to the artists that defined his generation, like Bob Dylan or The Velvet Underground, only to remember that I’ve never really heard him talk about them. Maybe that’ll be the next thing I’ll play for him. Or maybe I’ll play him something like FKA twigs or Godspeed You! Black Emperor to mess with him. The music that I grew up with is quite different from the music that my father grew up with; however, that in no way limits our ability to enjoy the music of each other’s generation and gain a deeper understanding for each other through our shared love of music. I can’t remember if he has one of those shirts that reads, “I MAY BE OLD BUT I GOT TO SEE ALL THE COOL BANDS,” but if he did, I would have to argue that I’ve got more than my fair share of cool bands to listen to. But, it’s our mutual love of music and each other that compels us to share these cool bands— and what they mean to us— with each other. Familial relationships are about the passage of traditions and values from one generation to another, and it seems as though, sometimes, the river runs in both directions. M

you

you are now by Jacob Nierenberg

BUEN CAMINO Every year, the students enrolled in OSPMADRD43, a class offered in Madrid during spring quarter, embark on a ďŹ ve day voyage to hike the last 110 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago, one of the most famous pilgrimages in the world. The title refers to a phrase said by the peregrinos (pilgrims) to one another as they pass on the road. Text by Chris Rodriguez Photography by Emma Coleman 16

When we think of high fashion brands like Gucci, Prada, Chanel, and Roberto Cavalli, we think of the awe-inspiring clothes, the jaw-dropping models who wear them, and the flawless campaigns that feature them both. However, we rarely consider the geniuses behind what appears to be an effortless collision of beautiful things and beautiful people: the creative directors. Creative directors are the pulse of high fashion brands. They shape the direction, aesthetic, and signature style that fashion houses project to their competitors, consumers, and industry. They are responsible for ensuring that the brand stays relevant with what’s “in” and what’s “out,” creating a lasting impression. However, this past year has seen a shocking and refreshing emergence of a new crop of creative directors for very prominent fashion houses in the industry. Though new to this lofty position, these powerhouses are no strangers to playing highly influential behind-the-scenes roles in the fashion community.

First up on the list is Peter Dundas. Dundas is considered the cream of the crop in the most elite circles of the fashion industry. The NorwegianAmerican fashion veteran became the newest creative director for Roberto Cavalli after previously serving for an impressive eight years at Emilio Pucci, another major Italian fashion house. His work includes the revival of the Pucci brand into the prominent brand it is today. Next on the list is the genius replacing Dundas as the creative director of Emilio Pucci: Italian designer Massimo Giorgetti. Giorgetti owns his own fashion label, MSGM, and also serves as its current creative director. Massimo Giorgetti has worked in a vast number of positions within the world of fashion, from a floor salesman to a creative consultant. He possesses the credentials and fresh mentality that is necessary to transform Pucci and clearly announce the brand’s new look and feel to the industry at large. The next creative director comes from inside the skeleton of another major Italian fashion house. Alessandro Michele originally worked as the Head Accessories Designer at Gucci until a recent and highly controversial promotion to the renowned position, prompted by internal conflict with Gucci’s previous creative director. Michele’s close ties with Gucci gives him a strong foundation to tactfully and authentically model the brand into his own, while simultaneously sparking a new revival of the classic brand. His new men’s collection plays on a very youthful aesthetic and was well received by most critics, boding well for Gucci’s new revolutionary era. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the hard work of these creative directors, tasked with garnering interest in the brand in everyone, from loyal customers to curious consumers, and keeping the creative vision of these brands alive for generations to come. M

A Sound of Their Own:

Student Bands at Stanford by Jacob Nierenberg

MINT Magazine sits down with the musicians behind Siberian Front, Camp Youth, and Paper Void to find out the trials and triumphs of being in a band on the Stanford campus.

t is well into the evening when I meet four of the five students in Siberian Front, one of Stanford’s most popular student bands. Just being in the same room with them makes my ears ring from the day before, when they played a killer set for Stanford’s first Sprung Music Festival. Voting is currently underway to determine which student act will open for the Frost Music Festival next month. One of the guitarists, Walter Torres, is anxiously checking the numbers, noting that Siberian Front is currently leading by a fair margin. The other guitarist, Gio Jacuzzi, sounds cool as a cucumber, shrugging it off with a casual “I’m not that worried.” The poll will close in an hour, and shortly after it does, Siberian Front will be announced as the band that will share the stage with AlunaGeorge, Kaytranada, and Flume at Frost Music Festival in May. But before the band goes off on their victory lap, the musicians agreed to sit down with me and go over their experiences as not just a band, but a self-run band at Stanford University. Stanford is home to many of the world’s most intelligent, driven, and capable students, most commonly having a reputation for forming start-ups. But now, the start-up culture is being challenged by the growing musical scene on campus. The members of Siberian Front span three classes, with guitarist Walter Torres, drummer Shamik Mascharak (absent for the interview), and bassist Damian McGlothlin first jamming together as a trio early in their freshman year of 2012. That summer, they picked up incoming freshman and second guitarist Gio Jacuzzi. Vocalist Thomas Reidy was the last to join the band in at the start of his freshman year in 2013. After a rousing performance at an open-mic night in CoHo, Reidy was approached by his Torres— as fate would have it, his RA— to join the band. The quintet got together shortly thereafter and wrote lyrics for a pre-existing tune, which would come to be known as “Seattle,” released in May of 2014 as their first single. “As they say, the rest is history,” Reidy says with a grin. “A beautiful cliché for you.” History didn’t come easy, though. After “Seattle”—

which took much of the school year to record and finalize— became official, the group set out about recording their eponymous debut EP. They quickly realized, though, how difficult it was for all of them to find the time to practice together. “Every Stanford student feels like they’re the busiest person in the world, right?” Reidy asks knowingly. “Getting time to coordinate five Stanford students’ schedules is the most difficult thing I have ever been presented with doing.” Ultimately, most of the recording was done over the summer. The process was a long one, marked by “hours and hours in the recording studio, and hours and hours late at night, sitting in bed, thinking about new ideas, and rehashing mixes,” as Jacuzzi remembers. The process took a toll on Jacuzzi, who engineered, mixed, and mastered the entire EP, and Reidy, who would routinely take days off at his summer job in Lake Tahoe to drive down to Stanford for just a few hours of recording. Recording continued once the new school year began, and in December of 2014, the band proudly released their EP. One of the biggest challenges Siberian Front faced was getting recognition on the Stanford campus. As aforementioned, the Sprung Music Festival only started this year, but it provided a vital platform for student bands to get their music out to a wide audience. In previous years, the most substantial way for these bands to get their foot in the door was to play at campus parties, usually as an attraction rather than the main focus. “There’s this kind of paradigm that’s been crafted on musical events at the Stanford campus, and it tends to be a byproduct of a specific event,” as Reidy notes. “But I think that paradigm is slowly beginning to change, where people are starting to focus more on musical events.” Sprung is evidence of this, with five student bands taking the stage and playing for an audience of several hundred. Jacuzzi is hopeful that Sprung will continue to, as he puts it, “foster the culture that’s starting to get revitalized on campus. It’s really, really cool to feel like the campus and the student body as a whole is endorsing their fellow students that are musicians.” Another player in Stanford’s musical scene is Camp 29

Stanford Bands

Siberian Front x Camp Youth x Paper Void

Youth, a surf rock-inspired outfit who have gained a reputation for their shows all over campus, often gigging to raise support for causes such as global health initiatives. Most of the members of Camp Youth all met in the Leland Stanford Junior University Marching Band, unlike Siberian Front, and came together last spring, rising to prominence in the new school year. With two of the founding members studying abroad, Camp Youth had to find temporary replacements to pick up the slack; despite the current lineup only having rehearsed a week before their Sprung performance, the band powered through their set, refusing to slow down even when bassist Dan Ruprecht broke a string. I caught up with some of the band members after their act— their largest yet— when they were still riding their post-show high. When I asked frontwoman and guitarist Jenna Swartz how being in a student band compared to being in the LSJUMB, she spoke of the responsibility that came with running one’s own show. “I love that we get to book our own gigs, and call our own shots, and schedule our own things around when we want,” Swartz elaborated. Her thoughts seemed in line with Reidy’s paradigm when she recalled what she loved most about the most memorable parties of her freshman year: “I personally loved most the live music events, and definitely wanted to help create that sort of atmosphere for people to enjoy when going to parties and events.” Ruprecht agreed, saying that, despite the success of their previous gigs at CoHo and Kairos, Sprung was their best show because it was a bona fide concert with the bands as the main attraction. “I think Stanford has a lot of parties that don’t necessarily focus on the music, and I think the difference is what made this show so awesome,” he said. I then asked the band what they thought was next for them, and Swartz turned contemplative. Whereas Siberian Front’s EP can be bought on the iTunes Store, a search of “Camp Youth” 30

yields no band by that name. However, Swartz noted that Camp Youth has been spending time in the studio and hoped to get an official release out soon. “The natural next step for any band to take is to try and grow our following a little more and get people to listen to us, and, in the meantime, try and play as many live events as we can.” For Swartz, that includes trying to book a show or open for another band off campus— a lofty aspiration that their compatriots strive to achieve as well. “One of our goals coming into winter and spring quarter,” McGlothlin says back with Siberian Front, “is trying to reach out beyond the Stanford campus.” San Francisco and San Jose sound like obvious choices, but as McGlothlin laments, “it’s tough being on a campus that’s about an hour away from any large metropolitan area.” If any Stanford band has really established a footprint off campus, it’s Paper Void. Paper Void is the brainchild of Gavin Leeper, Class of 2013 and M.S. in 2014, who, after dabbling in music production, jazz guitar, and taiko, decided that he wanted take a shot at making his own music. He rounded up a bunch of his fellow musicians— friends of friends, members of other bands— and found himself with an eight-piece collective that took equally from jazz, downtempo, and neo soul. Paper Void quickly became a hit on campus, playing Sigma Nu’s Snowchella mere months after its foundation, and then going on to open for Yeasayer and Dispatch at last year’s Frost Music Festival. This year, however, Paper Void saw a major change in that Leeper moved to Oakland, and brought the band with him. “Rehearsals are much more of an endeavor now,” Leeper quipped, chiefly owing to the fact that each band member now has to commute to their practice space, something that was much easier when they all lived at Stanford. While the majority of the band has graduated from Stanford, a few members are undergrads, something that makes rehearsals even more problematic for them.

Alex Ramsey, sophomore and tenor saxophonist, says that in between his studies and his section leading in the LSJUMB, he hasn’t rehearsed with the band since fall quarter. But with the relocation came a bigger audience, and Leeper expressed his excitement at Paper Void’s blossoming following in their new home; “right now we’re really growing roots in East Bay,” he said. “We’re really excited to become part of that community.” Paper Void has become the benchmark for what Stanford students and musicians can achieve with their bands. “What they’ve done is really amazing, but also a testament to how talented they are and how cool their music is,” Swartz lauded. Swartz’s comment is representative of the camaraderie between the bands at Stanford. Despite Sprung’s promotion of “Battle of the Bands,” there is a lot of support between the bands on campus. Camp Youth has opened for Siberian Front at some of the latter’s shows. The mutual respect between the two bands remains evident. Both bands are also greatly admiring of the bands that came before them— Real People Music, Alta Mar, Arswain, and, of course, Paper Void. “Everyone’s in it for the same reason,” McGlothlin tells me. “They love what they do, and they want to share it with the world.” Torres agrees with his bandmate; “a lot of bands are doing a lot of different things that are awesome. It’s hard to be competitive with people who are making music like that.” Perhaps Siberian Front is next in line for Pa-

photography by Jacob Nierenberg

per Void’s throne. Jacuzzi tells me that Siberian Front is getting ready to release one or two new singles by the end of the quarter, and hopes to make headway on new material in the studio. The impending graduation of three members may cast Siberian Front’s future in uncertainty, but it’s a challenge that Jacuzzi is eager to take head-on. “It’s dope, because it’s really going to push us to get outside of Stanford’s bubble, and start pushing our sound to a larger sphere, which I think is the next step at this point,” he says. This sparks a humorous mini-argument in the band; McGlothlin starts to say “I don’t want to be playing shows at…I love Kairos, but—” “Dude, I will freakin’ play Wine & Cheese forever! I love that place,” Reidy interjects as the room cracks up. To use another beautiful cliché, you can take Siberian Front out of Stanford, but you can’t take Stanford out of Siberian Front. M

model: Caroline Smith photographed by Yoojin Rhee

The

Choker

Comeback by Caroline Smith

The choker necklace is back and better than ever. It’s self-explanatory name, coupled with its ancient Chinese, Native American, Egyptian, and Indian roots deems this accessory jewelry as timeless. Though most people associate it with 90s children and young adult fashion, more and more students are finding themselves tempted to get choked up in one today. MINT has observed a gradual but undeniable resurfacing of the necklace on campus, and it’s official: the choker is making a statement in today’s fashion world. The choker necklace has been reborn, and in a way, revamped. We are no longer finding it worn in the way that we may have years ago, on crazed pop celebs like Britney Spears circa “Oops I did it again,” but instead in accordance with the more sophisticated lifestyle of high fashion models and (insert major city here) Fashion Week runways. Today’s choker is chic, with the fit resting at the base of the neck as opposed to smack dab on the center of the throat. Similarly, it is no longer only available in the typical plastic, flowery form, suggesting the appearance of a neck tattoo, but far more decorative, sometimes made from gold, possibly spiked, or even covered in colorful diamonds. It is often used to spice up a simple outfit, transforming a basic everyday look to an edgy, more contemporary one. MINT recommends pairing it with a dressy outfit to add a luxurious element to a statement dress, or to call attention to a daring, off-the-shoulder cut, highlighting sexy shoulders. It has the unique ability to reinvigorate any outfit that might have been understated otherwise. In essence, the choker that we previously considered a tawdry accessory, forever on the verge of being passé, is quite the opposite today. It is the latest musthave transformative accessory, complementing both red-carpet looks and street wear. Interestingly enough, many other trends today are reminiscent of the loose fitting, colorful looks of the 90s. However, this may just be the fashion industry at work, generating the trends in today’s fashion landscape by elevating certain staple pieces of the past to that next level of sophistication. It is also important to note that while musicians might have had a greater direct influence on what young people wore in the 1990s than the designers themselves, this may no longer be true. iPhone apps and increased online advertisement facilitate dialogue between fashion designers and the average fashion-concerned citizen, enabling all of us to gather the hottest looks directly from designers. MINT isn’t complaining— we love the choker comeback, and we always support exploring the potential of past trends in today’s fashion landscape. To quote choker-ambassador Britney Spears, sometimes we are “lucky” that fashion recycles itself. The possibilities are endless. M

38 photography by Sydney Maples

by Sydney Maples

On one hand, this stigma isn’t necessarily accurate. Fashion can be analyzed like anything else, because people’s fashion choices are a vibrant yet indirect representation of how they choose to interpret themselves or their culture. The clothing that people wear tells us where they see themselves “fitting in,” how they want to present themselves to others, and a multitude of other messages. Style interpretation can be studied and reported on to achieve the same effect and level of interpretation as a social science experiment, and the results of such experiments are highly valuable to our working framework for humanity, which we are constantly adjusting as we discover more about the world around us. And yet, fashion doesn’t have to be a purely intellectual medium for it to be valuable to an academic institution like Stanford. Fashion is also an art, and it thus makes its home in the body, where it is felt. There is a curious division at this school between the mind and the body, a

dichotomy between thinking your way through sequences and feeling your way through art and motion. An athlete nourishes her body through physical training, much like an artist nourishes her soul through emotional expression. The successes of these two depend not solely on executive functioning or “intellectual vitality;” rather, their successes primarily hinge on their ability to feel their way through a game, a challenge, a pattern, or an emotion. Fashion can be this way, too— a platform for aesthetic appreciation, celebration, creation, and feeling. Unfortunately, at a school where the vitality of thinking processes is celebrated, it is only inevitable that the mind and the body are often dissociated from each other. In doing so, people do not see where the two overlap. From what I’ve observed in others, those who have the strongest sense of “intellectual vitality” can approach an academic subject as an art form. They can incorporate critical thinking into something

“It is one thing to build a system, but it is an entirely new thing to build a system worth living in.” that seems matter-of-fact and trivial, and they can lead themselves to innovation and creative hypothesizing in ways that mirror the successes of an artist. In other words, they have a general idea of what they want to create, and so they follow their own lead and create it. This is where creativity happens; we adopt this process from art and motion— from the physical artists who are born with insights into this process— and we incorporate it into the technical realm. Another thing to consider is the way we approach creation. The successful creation of a new system often relies on the system’s efficiency, which is often fairly mechanical in nature (considering that a sense for something’s efficiency is linked to the brain’s “executive functioning”). Inevitably, new systems cannot consider all edge cases: what is academia to an illiterate, or a car to someone without legs? We require creativity to fill the edge cases, and preceding that, we require the artist’s mindset: empathy for others, stemming 40

from a depth of feeling that can be found naturally within the body. On top of this, we require an artist’s mindset to add spice, flavor, and beauty to the system. It is one thing to build a system, but it is an entire new thing to build a system worth living in. We joke about the “techie-fuzzy” divide on campus, but it’s a curious thing; it is much less a superiority-inferiority complex, and more so a complete difference in perception of the cultures, values, and methods of the mind. Both of these things matter, yet the credit is distributed unevenly. In the end, fashion is both a science and an art. Thus it is a sub-set of the trademarks of human emotion— freedom, self-expression, beauty, and color. In tandem with companionship, joy, and love, these are the things that we live for. They can be analyzed with the mind, but their greatest strength is that they can be cherished and felt within the body. M

In-N-Out’s fries are gross. Palm trees aren’t native to California. Everything is overpriced. There seems to be a certain ideal of California, as if the state were some otherworldly land made of gloss and green. There is a certain aesthetic associated with California— both literal and abstract— from the food we eat, to the ideals we uphold. It is the Golden State after all. But, is this utopian Californian image real? Is it a myth, or is it just misunderstood?

42 Photo courtesey of Barefoot Travels

THE MYTH OF THE CALIFORNIA AESTHETIC By Arianna Lombard

A Golden State of Mind

It isn’t surprising that most of the time, preconceived notions about California are very similar to how the state is portrayed in the media. People imagine a state in which lives are similar— though not quite as dramatic— to the lives of the characters on shows like “The O.C.” and “90210,” where eternally photogenic people spend their days surfing and tanning at the beach or working for “the industry.” (In NorCal the industry is tech, and in SoCal, the industry is entertainment.) Californians all shop on Rodeo Drive, take weekend trips to Napa Valley, and never seem to do any work. It’s an ideal that involves the dreams of many, placing its residents in a framework of luxury, class, and freedom. For these people, this is the California that Katy Perry sings about— one that represents a dreamy life made of movie magic and tech triumphs. Another common misconception of

California is what MINT likes to call the “eternal Coachella,” an idea reinforced by companies like PacSun and their “Golden State of Mind” slogan, as well as many other companies like Vans, and media outlets like BuzzFeed. The “eternal Coachella” is a modern mix of boho fashion and demeanor with the awareness and attitude of hippies. This is a California where vegan is the norm, Free People is the place to shop, yoga is surely a daily activity, as are music festivals and concerts. Pot is everywhere and people are forward-thinking. It is the Promised Land for the new generation, a safe place for the people of the 21st century to express themselves and care about modern issues, with the openness to act on their beliefs. Finally, there’s the California that true Californians think of. Californians imagine their native state to be a golden bastion of all things cool. They see themselves as

the ultimate judges on these things. An artist isn’t a pop star until they succeed in California. A burger isn’t a burger unless it’s an In-N-Out burger. Americanized Mexican food just isn’t without California. For native Californians, California is everything— a conglomerate of cultures, lifestyles, interests, industries, and aesthetics. California is a place where people can be whoever they want to be, live amongst others who are doing their own thing, and create an eclectic environment that is only possible in this great state.

The Reality

At the end of the day, California is a state that everyone makes their own. People create the California that they desire (to a certain extent), and they pursue that ideal. The only myth of the California aesthetic is that there is only a single aesthetic. Together, with all of our Californias, we are golden.

LONG BOARDS the skinny on the long

by Becky Aydin

“I don’t walk anywhere anymore” - Milo

hy have longboards become such a trend on Stanford’s campus? Milo Arevalo ’15 says, “I think it’s a reflection of movement towards having fun with how you get from one place to another. I also think there’s been a lot of technological improvements in terms of longboards—boosted longboards, automated longboards that have a motor that’s powering the bearings and the wheels—that’s given a lot of publicity towards longboards and skateboarding in general in The Valley.” He adds, “It’s been a trend to bike everywhere to class for such a long time, part of the appeal of longboarding is that it’s kind of different. Once you’re gliding across pavement, you get a kind of rush that you don’t get while biking. All it takes is a few people to start a movement where their friends start picking it

up, and then it kind of snowballs, and more and more people are getting into it. I feel like that’s kind of what has happened with my friend group.” In fact, many Stanford students appear to be ditching their bikes for longboards. Dani Olivos ’15 sees longboarding as a way to take in her surroundings. “I was biking long distances and not very much appreciating where I was going or what I was processing.” On a longboard, she finds herself hyperaware of her atmosphere and environment. Bernardo notes the efficiency of longboards when you’re in a rush: “I can go faster than a bike if am late for class, and you can weave in an out of bikes that are going too slow.” M

model / Dani Olivos 48

Daniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board

Miloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board

Bernandoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s board

pring is upon us, which means that it’s time to shed our “California cold” apparel and embrace the sunshine and heat. Sundresses, shorts, and bathing suits replace jeans and sweaters in our cramped college closets. Winter quarter, which might have scholastically overwhelmed many, left me feeling somewhat dormant and inactive. Longer hours at Green Library replaced detoxing routine workouts. It’s finally time to get active, enjoy the beautiful weather, and feel your best during the famously fun spring quarter. I, like many individuals, get in a workout rut. A creature of habit, I am loyal to my Arrillaga gym— spending time on the elliptical and then doing 8-minute abs. Sadly, science proves that your body becomes accustomed to a workout if performed habitually. Therefore, while your 40-minute run might have initially helped tone your legs and leaving you feeling sore the next day, by week three, the run is a breeze. I decided to challenge myself and utilize the different resources both on and off campus to craft a list of exercises that are sure to get you feeling healthy and energized. Glossing over Glamour magazine while flying back to The Farm, I scanned through an article about Victoria’s Secret Angels and their favorite workouts. These Amazonian women expressed glowing reviews about Bar Method classes. Bar Method routine targets specific parts of the body in order to elongate and tone. Founder, Burr Leonard, proudly exclaims in her online introduction that she purposefully enlisted the guidance of physical therapists to ensure that the workout was challenging instead of damaging to the body. Wanting to try out this supposedly transformative class, I resisted the urge to Uber and biked over to the studio instead, which is conveniently located in the forever busy Town and Country complex. As I entered Bar Method and checked in, I was a tad nervous. I saw ballerina-esque women elegantly stretching in preparation for the class. I found a spot on the bar and sheepishly tried to mimic the women around me. Our vibrant instructor Gigi jumped right into the workout and explained to the beginners of the group that we would focus on specific areas of the body like arms, thighs, back, and core. As we progressed through each focused part, she stressed the importance of stretching, which helps to promote both flexibility and circulation. I loved how we utilized the dance bar as a tool during portions of the workout. It provided a great sense of stability, especially when performing the fold-over move. I would highly recommend visiting Bar Method if you want to try something new and focus on toning. They are offering a special deal for new clients where you pay $99 and can attend unlimited classes for one month. While nearly $100 may sound a bit overpriced, it is truly a deal if you consider that a single class is priced at $27. Waiting a few days to tackle my next workout adventure (partly because I was still feeling the results of my

bar method class…) I finally made it to SoulCycle, a haven for the health conscious. Upon entering this mecca for trendy twenty-somethings and fit Pilates moms, I rented a pair of cycling shoes and stored my belongings in the shiny lacquered storage compartments. The brightness of the lobby strongly contrasts the studio, which is dark and misty with remnants of sweat. The blasting EDM made me feel as if I was in a cool underground European club, and the flashing lights indeed added to the ambiance. Samara, my energetic instructor, started her favorite playlist and instructed us to begin pedaling and amp up the resistance. Naively, I assumed that the class wouldn’t be too difficult, for I considered myself a seasoned biking veteran due to my daily rides around campus. However, I failed to realize that I didn’t get to enjoy the luxury of sitting during the workout. I don’t think that I have properly appreciated my bike seat until I finished my soul cycle ride. The class definitely targets your thighs and butt, leaving your lower body quite sore after your first attempt. I enjoyed the encouraging and upbeat environment. The pounding music served as motivation during the final part of the ride, when your legs start to feel wobbly and the room suddenly feels overwhelmingly hot. As I unclipped my shoes from the bike and went to retrieve my belongings, I was horrified as I looked in the mirror and realized that I was dripping in sweat. While I had a great experience at SoulCycle, I recognize that the price of classes is not extremely friendly to students on a budget. It is worth going to for the experience, but you can always sign up for spinning classes through the physical education department. You will only have to pay $20 for a quarter instead of $34 per class. Or, if you are feeling somewhat adventurous, you can always explore the entirety of Stanford campus by bike or cycle through the surrounding area. Try challenging yourself by changing to a higher gear, or try to not sit on your bike seat for short bursts. Your thighs and butt will most definitely reap the benefits of this routine. Back at home in Pasadena, CA, I cherish a five-mile walking route that I created with my dad. It is the perfect combination of uphill as well as flat that is great for quick sprints. Sometimes, I need to get away from the gym and enjoy the outdoors. Since we do not have to worry about snow or subzero temperatures, I enjoy trekking around campus as an alternative form of exercise. I have been searching for a great route that can replace my beloved walk at home. I decided to try Stanford’s dish hike as a possible alternative. Traveling past the row (a place I had admittedly only seen by night), I decided to start off with a light jog. As I entered the hiking path, I transitioned over to a power walk as I scaled the surprisingly steep terrain. The dish hike is perfect for an early morning weekend walk, and it is great to do with friends. There’s nothing better than filling everyone in on your week while breaking a sweat. I especially like how you can start the walk at different points and modify the distance based on how much time you have. The view

of the bay and campus is truly breathtaking and humbling. If you want to challenge yourself, try running the entirety of the route, or break it up into intervals. I enjoy sprinting on the uphill sections and then maintaining a fast walking pace for the rest of the hike. If you are bored of the dish and want to try something new, many of my friends have suggested the Windy Hill hike in neighboring Portola Valley. I look forward to venturing to this scenic site sometime in the next few weeks. If you’re feeling a little sore and want a more leisurely workout, consider unearthing a beach towel or yoga mat and venturing outside for a power yoga/Pilates session. Right outside of my room is a massive and beautiful tree that is the ideal location for a workout, and yoga/Pilates fusion is a great way to start the day. I must confess, though, that I prefer early morning workouts, because I hate when a bunch of people watch me workout. Not too many students venture out in the Wilbur field vicinity at 7:45/8AM, so this has proven to be the ideal time. I have been practicing yoga for about five years, and I consider it to be a fantastic stress reliever. I like how I can push myself when I need a harder workout, but I can also relax and modify the workout for the days when I need to detox. After I complete my sun salutations and combination of other poses, I always feel energized. I enjoy practicing a routine of both yoga and Pilates because I like to target my core. Yoga can be as structured or free flowing as you like. I would recommend a mixture or sun salutations and restorative poses to start off your exercise. I like using Yoga Journal to help guide my workouts. They have great demos and explanations of each pose, including the health benefits and parts of the body that the pose targets (http://www.yogajournal.com/). I would select 10-12 poses before you begin. I like to infuse Pilates throughout my workout instead of saving it for the end. While there are thousands of yoga poses, there are a core 8-10 “go-to” Pilates moves. If I really want to feel the burn, I will repeat the hundred exercise (hold position for 100 beats) 3-4 times in a workout. I would definitely scan through the beginner options highlighted in this introductory website and integrate a few of the moves into your next yoga/Pilates flow (http:// pilates.about.com/od/pilatesmat/tp/BeginnerExercises.htm). Hopefully you can try to incorporate some of these workout ideas into your own routine. While I am no health guru, you can abide to my suggestions strictly, or just use them as an inspiration and jumping-off point for your customized regiment. I highly suggest looking at some of the physical education classes offered in our very own Stanford gyms as well. If you email instructors in advance, many welcome drop-ins for a few sessions. I especially am looking forward to stopping by the cardio kickboxing classes. Spring is all about discarding the old and celebrating the new, be it a new class or workout routine. Go outside, be active, and enjoy spring quarter while you’re feeling and looking your best. M

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